The Astrological profile of Ernesto” Che” Guevara de la Serna

Born 14th May 1928, Rosario, Argentina.

Irish artists Jim Fitzpatrick image of Che Guevara, 1967

During a Uranus to Sun /Mercury transit I came across the exceptionally well researched and acclaimed biography written by:
Jon Lee Anderson , Che Guevara : A Revolutionary Life, Grove Press, 1997.
I read the book fervently after researching Ernesto Guevara’s birth data for presenting a Mystery chart to a group of Astrologers I study with in Melbourne. Numerous internet searches gave two different dates, one 14th June 1928 at 3:05am, the other 14th May 1928 also at 3:05am(which was also the same through a friend with astrodatabank). The story of his confusing birthdate is all revealed in the book.

The biography starts with the words, “ The horoscope was confounding” and continues to reveal the story behind the true date of Ernesto Guevara’s birth. We find out that Che Guevara was indeed born on 14th May 1928 in Rosario, Argentina. It continues that his mother “confided a secret she had guarded for over three decades, that her famous son had actually been born one month earlier on May 14th. He was no Gemini but a headstrong Taurus”. She said “if her son had not become famous she would never have needed to reveal the deception. The deception had been necessary because she was three months pregnant on the day she married Che’s father, and a doctor friend falsified the baby’s certificate moving it forward one month to help shield them from scandal.”page 1. Ernesto’s parents were both from well known and respected Catholic families of Buenos Aires, large land and plantation owners, who found it necessary to keep away from the prying eyes and ears of Buenos Aires at the time, also saying that their son was born 2 months prematurely.

His mother accounts to him being born at dawn, on May 14th , but no time is given. Finding the time for dawn in Rosario Argentina was first on my agenda. Sunrise in Rosario is at that time of year is 7:40am and dawn is within the half hour before that. In the chart above, I have chosen 7:15 am to be the chart I use for this exercise and the chart that was given to the group to unravel the mystery. Che’s exact birth time however could be somewhat different, I would say no more that ten minutes earlier or later, but then again, what is dawn in a mother’s eyes while giving birth, could also be another mystery. Regardless, a few factors , whilst setting a time for the birth needed to stay in place, Saturn in the 8th and Venus near the ascendant, but in the 12th house, and Neptune conjunct the IC(using placidus houses).The Pisces Moon in the tenth house, the mother’s secret, square Saturn in the 8th, the parent’s marriage, squaring the nodes , the individual’s karmic life directions, Neptune on the IC, not knowing, and the 12th house Venus, Chiron and Jupiter, together all paint the story of the cover up and the excerpt below, infuses the astrology further:

“If their child had not grown up to be the famous revolutionary Che, his parents’ secret might have gone with them to their graves. A rare public figure of modern times whose birth and death certificates are both falsified. Yet it seems uniquely fitting that Guevara, who spent most of his adult life engaged in clandestine activities and who died as a result of a secret conspiracy, should have also begun his life in subterfuge.” page 4.
Throughout the biography we find out a few times, that Che celebrated his birthday on the 14th of June, but it is not revealed whether he ever discovered his true birthdate, but would be very interesting to find out.

The rising of the planet Venus, the ruler of the chart and Sun sign, was perhaps the most important placement to consider in this chart. It was important to have Venus rising and close to the ascendant, not in the 1st house but in the 12th. Venus in the first would make the birth time too early and before dawn, and making the birth time later moves Venus further away from the ascendant. Venus needed to be closely aligned to the ascendant but in the 12th , as I continued to read this biography.

Che, more than anything, was driven by a strong need and desire to help the impoverished and underprivileged in society, spending his life devoted to the cause.. Venus in the 12th but rising, coupled with his Pisces Moon and Mars, shows us a man driven to extreme lengths of self sacrifice to help others in his ongoing fight against imperialistic regimes. Venus in the first would indicate a person more self involved and concerned with their own needs. Taurus energy is like that of a Bull, following a particular path, not concerned with peripheral distractions, or getting there in a roundabout way, totally determined to go straight for the red flag. His Sun in the first house and Venus rising, reflects his determination ,as well as his charisma and charm. Anyone that met Che spoke of an instant liking for the man. He was never concerned about how he dressed, or how he looked , or what he wore, often wearing the same clothes for days on end without washing, even when not in the jungles with the guerrillas. The rawness of this Taurus personality comes out strong throughout the story, his smile and laughter and calm seriousness adding to his uniqueness and unforgettable presence.

The most incredible likeness to Venus rising is of course that he wore the five pointed star on his forehead. Rarely seen without his guerrilla garb, boots and beret, with the representation of Venus, his star, placed always firmly on his forehead. It’s as if he wore his astrology chart on his head, with Venus, rising on his beret! The five pointed metal star he wore was the symbol of his socialist mission, he didn’t wear the Red Star of the communists, nor the Gold star of the military, his socialist cause stemmed from Marxist ideals and his vision was different to that of the communist movements around the world at the time.

His nickname Che, comes from the time he first met Fidel Castro and other Cuban revolutionaries during the mid 50’s in Guatemala and Mexico, when they were all planning the emancipation of Cuba from Battista. “Che” refers to the Argentine way of saying “Hey You” , and stuck with him for the rest of his life, reflecting a no fuss attitude of who he was. It was much more important to him, what he could do. A doctor, a comrade, a respected commander of the Cuban guerrilla forces, the hero of the Cuban revolution, Che was also appointed as chief prosecutor , commander of agrarian reform , the production of sugar and the head of the National Bank of Castro’s Cuba. A career path that reflects all the fixed angles in his chart and angle rulers, the Midheaven, Ascendant, descendant and IC. Fidel Castro writes on the competence, diplomacy and patience of the man, often referred to as Castro’s brain,

“ When grenades were needed, Che set up a factory to make them. When bread was wanted, Che set up ovens to bake it. When new recruits needed to learn tactics and discipline, Che taught them. When a school was needed to teach peasants to read and write, Che organized it.” Castro’s Brain, 1960.

Venus conjuncts Chiron, and the Guevara story deepens. Chiron tells us the story of his weak lungs, his difficulties with breathing , the suffering from asthma all his life and his need to become a medical doctor. He was born with asthma and as a baby and young man, his family kept moving and uprooting the family home, to see if a new location and atmosphere would help alleviate Ernesto’s asthma. He suffered incredibly long bouts of illness at home in bed, missing school for months on end trying to breathe, constantly vomiting and feverish. As a young engineering student , When his much loved grandmother died, he decided to change career paths and study medicine. He wanted to help alleviate human suffering and particularly to help those that suffered the same condition as himself. He wrote years later of having a dream that motivated his decision,
“ I dreamed of becoming a famous investigator………of working indefatigably to find something that could be definitively placed at the disposition of humanity “ page 42. Certainly fitting to what he was to become .

Later, in the guerrilla camps, he continued to be subjected to great weakness due to his asthma, nearly dying many times. He took up smoking cigars in Cuba , saying it helped his asthma. As Guevara was an avid diary keeper, the biography continually references his own writing and we gain great insights into the man, his mind and his thinking. When suffering asthma attacks during his guerrilla missions, he writes numerous times how he comes to understand the necessity of his illness. He opens up to us astrologers his personal connection to the meaning of his Venus Chiron, with Venus being ruler of his house of health the 6th in Libra. He sees his illness as something he knows he needed to have, he saw his asthma attacks as his time out, his time to reflect, hold back and not move for a while. Sometimes crucial to the movement of the Guerrillas which he commandeered. He saw this timing as a time to plan before commanding the next move, and often wrote that if it wasn’t for his debilitating asthma he would be completely unstoppable and dangerous.

His Pisces Moon, 12th house planets and their connections, also his Neptune on the IC in trine with Jupiter in Aries in the 12th, sharing fire with Saturn and squaring the Sun all indicate his illness , his drive for self sacrifice for the greater good, his peripatetic home life, his non patriotic association with one particular country, his never returning back home to Argentina and his universal socialist cause. The astrology and his story fit so well that we have a great sense that his ultimate mission was definitely fated and not his own. When his father asks Che what he planned to do with his medical career, when visiting him in Cuba after the revolution, Che replies,

“I deserted it a long time ago. Now I am a fighter who is working in the consolidation of a government. What will become of me? I don’t know, I don’t even know in which land I will leave my bones.” Page 390

His missions were too great. He was a world leader in the revolutionary socialist cause and became one of the world's most wanted men, spending the last few years of his life in hiding and disguise. He knew that he was creating history as he went, but perhaps never knew how far his legend and his image would be circulated, plagiarized and revered as the ultimate symbol of the revolutionary. We see this astrologically through his, Uranus (modern ruler of the MC) in Aries in the 11th house, trine south node and sextile the North node and Mercury.

The Image of Che Guevara

When we talk about the image of Guevara, a living legend, an archetypal figure , we are all reminded of a specific photo , sometimes referred to as the most famous photo of all time, Guerrillero Heroico, the image above. This image has been copied countless times by artists around the globe in various forms, designs and colours and has become the ultimate image of the revolutionary archetype. This iconic photo was captured on the 5th March 1960, in Havana, Cuba by photographer Alberto Korda, no time available . Taken at a memorial service for fallen comrades of the La Coubre explosion which had happened the day before, the photo however was never published internationally until 1967, the year of Che’s execution. Korda **has stated that he was drawn to Guevara's facial expression at the time, which was one of "absolute implacability ……..anger and pain……… with that great sadness in his eyes”. Korda said the photo encapsulated Che's "character, firmness, stoicism, and resoluteness”.*** The astrological line up in the sky for that day was, Uranus was exactly opposite Venus in the sky, Venus at 17 Aquarius and Uranus 17 Leo, both squaring Guevara’s ascendant and exactly squaring his progressed Moon at 17 Taurus. Inner wheel - Che Guevara, 14th May 1928, Rosario, Argentina,7:15am Middle wheel - Progressions to Guevara’s’ chart, 5th March 1960 Outer wheel - Transits , 5th March 1960, 12:00pm Havana Cuba

Other transits on the day:
Transiting Venus and Uranus sextile and trine natal Saturn
Transiting Mars squares natal Venus and trines NN,
Transiting Mars squares Transiting Neptune
Transiting Sun conjunct natal Moon, trine natal Pluto, sextiles ascendant.
Transiting Mercury retrograde conjunct transiting South Node sextile natal Sun
Transiting Neptune opposites natal Venus and Chiron, trine natal Moon,
Transiting Chiron op natal Neptune.

And more: The transits and progressions line up to encapsulate the power that would be held in the photo, birthed with a Uranus in Leo and a Venus in Aquarius timing, with transiting Neptune in the Guevara's 6th opposite Venus and Chiron in the 12th house, triggering off the connection it would make throughout the collective and people around the globe for decades to come.


Che Lives !

In May 2008 at the Cannes film festival, two movies about Che Guevara, directed by Steven Soderbergh were released, “The Argentine” and “Guerilla”. In Cannes and throughout the premier seasons of 2008 and 2009, Neptune transits the midheaven of Che’s astrological chart. A very likely resemblance to Che Guevara and even a few astrological connections make Benicio del Toro(Bull, Taurus) the perfect choice for portraying the Argentine. The resemblance is somewhat uncanny and he was cast to play the part for obvious reasons. Del Toro’s natal Saturn at 28 Pisces conjuncts Che’s Mars, his North Node conjuncts Che’ s Venus, his Venus Chiron conjunction in Pisces sextileS Che’s Sun and his Jupiter exactly squares Che’s Jupiter. A casting choice made in heaven. Benicio del Toro was born, 19 Feb 1967, no time available. The movie is due for release in the USA in Jan 2009 and has already been released in Spain. I eagerly await its release in Australia.

Benicio Del Toro, Santurce, Puerto Rico, 19th February 1967, no time available,
12pm chart, Solar sign, whole houses

Reading the biography with the chart, making the correlations of his life and times to his astrology was constantly fascinating. Luckily there are many dates in this book and even a death time that make reading the biography even more intriguing and revealing. If only every biography came with a birth chart. For those interested in great biographies that can be followed with an astrological chart, I can highly recommend this book and this chart. As there is so much to write about I will continue with : Part Two, of the Che Guevara astrological story, as I look into his missions, successes and failures , and his death. (still coming.....stay tuned)

Our symbolic language, astrology, helps us further connect to his life, his personality, his drive, the times he lived in and the people he was connected to. As the Guevara image continues to resonate throughout the world, during these uncertain times, careering towards 2012, in a world transforming and shedding it’s old skin, we can perhaps take some insights from Guevara and his dire need to fight for more equal societies. ( sans the guns of course), perhaps we are now we learning that world consciousness and conscious evolution can help us get there.

© Julija Simas - Agent 12

**Alberto Korda born (September 14, 1928 in Havana, Cuba- no time available.
*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_(photo)

Knight of Swords - Go Obama- Vehicle of Change

After watching “The Choice 2008” last night on SBS a doco examining the history and politics of the US presidential candidates Obama and Mc Cain, I thought it time to document my idea of who would win this election next week. This documentary gave me a good idea of the baggage that comes with McCain, his profile indicates he has too much negative karma attached, the wounds and scars of war and his rise in the political system stemming from his wartime accolades. The fairness, straightforwardness and idealism that comes with Obama’s background , his need to serve the people was clearly evident. Haven’t we had enough of war influenced politicians, time to move on. With Obama’s long serving catch cry - Change - it seems appropriate that with Uranus and Saturn aligned in an exact opposition on election day - we can hope for Change.

Saturn and Uranus could also indicate no change, a stalemate, but I prefer to see the Saturn opposite Uranus as a strong indicator that change will manifest, perhaps we are more determined and focused on these changes than ever.

The other night I did a tarot reading , asking the question “who will win the US election”.I did a pyramid spread of 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then one card knowing this would give a more definite answer. The run up to candidates was evident in the spread with a definite female causing havoc in the race in the third line. The third line indicated issues and concerns about money and possessions with the 5 of Pentacles Card, The Moon card, an indication that the whole nation and many more people are in tune to this event, and the Queen of Wands perhaps Palin being a nuisance. The second last line came up with the King of Cups and a Page of Swords - an old guy and a new guy. The top card came out - as the Knight of Swords. This could only be the young guy being elevated to knighthood.

After attending a panel of astrologers in Melbourne where different speakers looking at Charts of the candidates and their running mates, tried to ascertain the outcome, i thought that personally I don’t think that an outcome can be seen in the personal Astro charts of the candidates. Although this event being one the biggest in their lives, was not showing up clearly in either natal charts, therefore could not be clearly defined. A Horary led to a Mc Cain win, Mundane outlooks were done using various US Charts, but no one used an Ingress chart. My preference would be the Mundane outlook and looking at Ingress charts for Washington DC for the Libra Ingress of 2008, it defines the national weather so to speak, for the next quarter.

For the Libra chart Scorpio rises with an eighth house moon , giving the feeling of underlying serpent energy rising. Some would say, but Scorpio is a fixed sign - yes - but it indicates transformation and change. Hanging on does not serve Scorpio energy well . Uranus sits in the 4^th effecting a deep down change in the home of the nation. Scorpio has guts and nerve and so does Uranus.

So many aspects can be looked at to see what will happen, but again nothing is ever so clear in astrology. Election day begins with Uranus in the 4^th of DC chart, Saturn at 18 Virgo - has a Sabian symbol of “ a swimming race” - both are in the race, and Uranus ‘ sabian symbol - “a master instructing his pupil “. If the old guy is Saturn and Uranus the young guy , the old guy is in the race but Uranus is a master, Uranus doesn’t change degree that day, because it is retrograde, but Saturn does to “An automobile Caravan” perhaps symbolising Saturn moving away . The retrograde Uranus, more determined and not giving up, being closer to the earth and symbolic of what is now needed here the most. Mercury changes signs too that day and so does the Moon. To me this is extremely changeable energy.

Well we have to wait for the outcome to see, but the symbolic language of astrology is perhaps the best way to see what will happen. Don’t forget the intention of change that goes with the times we are living through. We are living in extremely transformative times, with Pluto at 29 Sag, the threshold of a new beginning. So lets not be afraid to ask for it as well as believe in the unprecedented global intention that comes with this historic event. Go Obama - Knight of Swords.

The astrology of Falling Man

The Astrology of Falling Man

Last night watching the documentary - 9/11 The Falling Man - by Henry Singer 2006 - which I had seen before in 2007, but watching it again on late night TV like many things, made me also very curious about the Astrology of the moment and the Falling Man. The capture of the image of the Falling Man became one of the most famous and horrific photos of recent times. Famous because of it’s depiction of a man having decided that he would rather jump from the towers than to be choked by toxic smoke or burn to death. This iconic image embedded in our psyche called us all to wonder at what we would do in such circumstances.
It is not 100% certain as the documentary reveals that the falling man was indeed a 43-year-old employee of the Windows on the World - Jonathan Briley - but many clues do show that it was. It is perhaps not important to identify the Falling Man as someone in particular, but that he did represent to us the archetypal Unknown Soldier. As one person interviewed in the documentary says,
“ the I hope we're not trying to figure out who he is and more figure out who we are through watching that”

Gwendolyn, 9/11: The Falling Man

The Astrology Chart for the time the Photo was taken was 9:41am nearly an hour after the planes first hit. The Moon ruler of the midheaven in Gemini and Jupiter in Cancer with the North Node also in Cancer inbetween all in the 9^th house, tell us abit about the story that would come from the photo. The quote sums up the astrology of this moment perfectly. The ruler of the 9^th Mercury is in the 12^th house, adding to the intrigue and the mystery and the search to identify the man.

The documentary showed a birth date for the man identified , as March the 5^th 1958. A person born on this day - would have had an exact Venus Neptune square and most karmic of all , the North Node Neptune and Jupiter all conjunct in Scorpio retrograde. Without knowing any more details of the Man, the transits to his astrology during that photo, show transiting Pluto and Saturn which are opposite each other, squaring this man’s Sun and Mercury in Pisces . Neptune is also square natal Neptune and conjunct natal Venus.

If we look at a Solar sign chart which we often do for someone without a birth time, we know he is a Pisces, in death identified as the sacrifice and the victim, the man with incredible faith, that showed to the world the pain of this disaster, like the tarot card, the Hanged Man, often identified as the Pisces archetype, upsidedown falling having decided to take the incredible leap of faith. Neptune, Jupiter and the North Node are in his solar charts 9^th house, again strongly reflecting his faith and belief. The man who became known as the Falling Man Jonathan Briley and his fate, is identified even stronger through the astrological images and symbols. Perhaps this really was the Man who through a Photo bought us such a strong image of the victims sacrificed on that horrendous day.

8-8-08

The day of the Olympics opening in Beijing, occurring in between two eclipses in the signs of Leo and Aquarius and the North Node conjunct Chiron - the chart of the Anima Mundi shows that the spotlight on Beijing ultimately brings up two main issues - the quality of the Air and China's attitude to human rights.

It was written back in March 1345 in a statement by the medical faculty in Paris, that the Mars, Saturn and Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius at that time explained the “Corruption of the air” and the Black Death. Today we have Chiron exactly conjunct the North Node in Aquarius it's easy to see that the country with the a fifth of the worlds population is one of the biggest contributors to the corruption of our air. Perhaps it is a lucky day for the world, a blessing in disguise that highlights the problem on the biggest world stage - the Olympic Arena. If our over ready champions battle it out and we see that some don't make it to the finish line, because they are gasping for air hopefully conscious awareness of this problem will grow. There could be no better way to show us all the frightening reality of these implications and how affected we all are, how we have all contributed and continue to contribute to air quality. Air an Aquarian element belongs to all, but we continue to see global issues addressed by ignorant and militant governments like China - as not being anyone's business , how they treat their people and indeed what they put into their air. Air pollution kills 656,000 Chinese each year, and 95,600 thousand from polluted water. Chiron conjunct North Node indicates the need for healing these issues as a major priority, the healing of global world direction.
It makes you sick when you think of all the handshakes, the pretense, the money involved with the Olympics as a global farce, an extreme attempt to show each other that all is well in this world, we are all friends, instead of facing up to what's really going on. As China shows off how well their country is doing, proud and happy with their achievements,(Leo- Sun, Mercury) well I'm so glad it's in smog and all the world can see, symbolic of the covers ups the not wanting to see what's really going on and perhaps waking more of us up to try and see beyond the veils of deceit cover up and deception.(Neptune-Aquarius)


Today also in Melbourne 16 Men have been arrested for the biggest ever ecstasy bust in the world where somewhere over 4 tonnes of ecstasy have been seized from a container which arrived a year ago and with the tablets being concealed in Italian tomato tins.
Mars(the cops) Virgo(the well worked out operation) opposes Uranus Pisces (the Dealers ), a Scorpio Moon (Exposing the cover up and huge amounts of money) - Neptune(lies, deception, drugs) opposite Mercury (the trickster, mastermind, clarity) all make up a great story of this incredible bust with a market value beyond comprehension.

So as the world turns we see forever the stories on earth that synchronize with the heavens - but I ask what are we doing about it?

Finding The Muse

Over the next few weeks and stretching back over the last few weeks astrologically Neptune conjuncts the North Node within one degree orb in the sign of Aquarius. The nodes North and South are points in astrological charts that mark the intersection of the Moon's orbit around the Earth with the ecliptic path - the path of the Sun. The Nodes carry meaning like all astrological points and planets, the North Node defines a place of opportunity for growth and development, the south represents karmic repression and tendencies that restrict growth.

With Neptune conjunct this North point it also opposes the South point and poses a question to us as a collective. Where are we heading? Have we a great imagined idea, a fabulous Aquarian goal of where we see ourselves going? Or are we completely lost on this journey and quest. Have we found ourselves caught in Poseidon’s nets and seriously have no idea of what’s going on and what’s ahead. Is it too impossible a question to answer or is it too scary to look?

The sabian symbol for 24 plus degrees of Aquarius is -

“A butterfly with the right wing more perfectly formed” -

being a great image of : perhaps we have half an idea, but the other half has not even been addressed or looked at. We can’t fly into the future without both our wings formed. This is also the degree of the next lunar eclipse on the 16^th August also at 24 degrees Leo/Aquarius. What could this mean? Certainly a time to think of forming and paying attention to the other wing.

Just recently in The Age newspaper, I read a scientific report that confirmed to readers, that our assumptions of where we would be at this moment in time regarding global warming and our ecological crisis , are in fact far beyond and more advanced than we presumed a few years ago. We are failing considerably in the quest to save the planet. Our crisis worsens.

Neptune confuses us more - is this task impossible? Are we doomed ? Can we save ourselves still? We’ve had Earthhour and the 2020 conference over the last few weeks, but surely these seem to be miniscule attempts when we think about what we can do and what we could do. Couldn’t we do Earthhour every week, surely it wouldn’t be so hard. Neptune at this nodal point reminds us that all could be lost, as well as all could be saved. Much needs to be sacrificed from so many perspectives - personal and global.

Perhaps Neptune’s presence reminds us to keep the faith, that there is no clear way or solution right now. It’s all so very complex, our issues with the future and how we will survive. However everyone is involved, we are all lost at sea with a confused direction home. Do we bother with all that plastic, or think God one more plastic bag surely won’t make a difference, or lighting my gorgeous open fire tonight surely won’t add much pollution to what’s already out there. We have to keep the faith and believe it will and it does make a difference. If we have no visions , we have no future. The combination of Aquarius, the North Node and Neptune remind us that it is time to imagine and envision, not to fall apart in despair and hopelessness.

Reading about a new documentary soon to be shown at the St Kilda film festival, I thought of this current alignment. A topic that reminds us that however we get there, we need to find the MUSE. “Abusing the Muse” is about Nick Cave, the infamous Melbourne singer and the documentary explains to us the ways Nick finds inspiration and his Muse.

He says this of his creative process:
“ a lot of people think you should wander around and absorb life and wait for the epiphany to happen , but I’m very much a plodder “. He says he doesn’t go to his office when inspired, he just goes in the office every morning, compelled to do some work “I don’t care how I feel or whether or not the muse has struck that day, I just go and do it”.

I love this as an analogy of Neptune right now, if we can’t be inspired or find solutions to our future dilemmas right now, we still need to plod away and keep working on it. To some this is the way, to others, well they do wander around and perhaps wait for epiphanies. Whatever way, we need to find the MUSE to help ourselves through these veils of illusion, delusion and hidden agendas and perhaps cannot afford the time to wait for epiphanies. We would do best to nurture and encourage, make a special time and place, make yourself a date with your MUSE.

Where does Neptune and the North Node conjunct in your chart? Perhaps you will find a clue to finding your muse over the next few weeks. I write this on the day that the Muse revealed herself through my 3^rd house.

BLACK in FASHION

Recently I went to see an exhibition at the NGV in Melbourne - titled “Black in Fashion - from Mourning to Night” - I wanted to see it because I thought - what a great theme - conjuring so many images and the world of Black. Black representing so many things from authority, confidence, mourning, magic, mystery, so much symbolism and meaning, I thought I was in for a treat. The exhibition, however, was quite a disappointment, Besides a few dresses - wonderful as they were, and a few old paintings of Elizabethan women’s portraits wearing Black- and one Punk outfit - there was nothing else. No write ups of the symbolism of black, no shoes, bags accessories, no meanings, no references to symbolism - nothing. Surely the curators could have come up with more than that, such a big theme. You’d think with the resources available to curators at the NGV - they could have perhaps come up with a much more extensive representation - of Black - in Fashion. Perhaps next time they could summon an Astrologer - we can only hope.

Black perhaps is the most symbolic of all colours. In the fashion world it has never not been around, even though we constantly hear or read term such as “Green is now the new Black” or perhaps”blue” or “purple”. But nothing will ever be as powerful as Black.

Black defines pure elegance or outright rebellion to sophistication and power. From the little black dress to the sumptuous flowing chiffon evening gown, a man in a tuxedo. From old rockers to young punks, from Goths and Mods to priests and vampires, widows to witches, burglars and spies, black is a very strong and powerful symbol. It defines someone of authority someone quite confident, someone who is not afraid to show themselves and who they are, someone who wears their authority on their sleeve, or wears black for a reason, like judges, referees and black belts in some martial arts.

Black is not technically a colour but is any colour at it’s darkest value, it absorbs all colour and is perhaps also the most intriguing colour , non-colour, be it found on velvet, shiny vinyl, soft leather or a furry wrap, black has many disguises and many faces.

Psychologically black is usually associated with very negative things, we have a fear of darkness, bad things happen in the dark. Black is associated with the underground, being undercover, unseen. Black is also associated with depression and death, black magic, the Black Market and Blackmail .

As an Astrologer when we think Black - we automatically think of Saturn. Lord of melancholy and authority, death and darkness. Living in Melbourne a city always attuned to the colour black and myself having a strong Saturn and many black clothes - I found that this exhibit fell far from my expectations of what could have been done with such an deeply symbolic topic.

Anyway - another mission perhaps for the C*I*A in the future.

A huge topic - this site has some more great insights into BLACK and all it's meaning.

http://www.sensationalcolor.com

Pluto in Capricorn Conference Sydney 2008

Well it's taken a week to recover from the exhaustion of networking, talking, lectures, meeting new and interesting people, having romantic dinners, talking business and laughing and learning late into the night. It all started with the sad news of dear Heath Ledger- when learning of his death and looking at his astrology and death charts, we noticed T Uranus con SN and Saturn returning, with Jupiter and Venus in Pisces with rx Mercurynataly, we understood perhaps few more things about him, than any of the media speculators and paparazzi, whom he hated. Having many planets in Pisces myself and Mercury, I understand an exhausted mind that is unable to switch off or sleep when necessary.

We found ourselves staying in a wing of the Womens College - called of all places and names in the world"Langley", the name of the town in the USA where the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) has their headquarters. For our first conference as the C*I*A , to be staying in "Langley" helped us all to feel ever more synchronized with the magic of what we are building with our Agency and also this seemed to be a cosmic message that we are on the right track.

I think I was as busy as agent 12 - who sent me off on all sorts of missions throughout the weekend, like loading up the website on the computers in the email room, selling T-shirts and networking. Many hilarious things happened, like being mistaken for having a romantic dinner with 37 in a little Italian joint in Newtown, having water poured on us, for smoking on our balcony(everyone else was doing it too) by a"Control" freak up above and relating this to my "Saturn in Aquarius" or perphas it's Saturn now on my MC. As the lawn-dwellers that we became after this episode, we spent time laughing about dramatisations of mars and merc rx. Catching up on many conversations in the mundane astrological world as we watched the red planet above the trees, and the Virgo Moon above the tower, we reflected on our thoughts of the future and left us all always having so much to say and talk about. It was great how our T-shirts grew throughout the conference as more and more people bought them, I missed many lectures but that's because agent 12 had me doing stuff like walking around the Uni and putting C*I*A cards in the graffitti tunnel and taking photos of the fabulous statue of Gilgamesh, so I plan to get some conference tapes and catch up on a few things. I loved that Agent 23 as confrence MC - wore our T-shirt to the closing ceremony - Thanks 23.

Well we are back now and rested - the mind having had a few good sleeps. One dream I remember during the conference, the night after the Pluto in Cap - panel discussion- when we left feeling as though perhaps we should sell up and move to the country buy a good plot of land to store water and grow vegies -
I dreamt in a more lucid state than being deeply unconscious (my Merc in Pisces finding it hard to fall a asleep)
"Building a university of Astrology - locking the gates and sending out information to the world as required " -
perhaps a paranoia of what's to come, the need for validating astrology, deserving of university status, with much important information to share and distribute. Nevertheless a dream that reflects my love of the study of all things astrological, as well as "wouldn't it be great to be an eternal student at uni again - mid life crisis stuff). At the same time the dream held with it a very Pluto in Capricorn feeling, which was - that there is a real strength and huge transformational time ahead for the world of astrology and astrologers, as Pluto moves through Capricorn, it will be unleashing many deeply hidden and resourceful aspects of the creative treasure we have all found and so dearly need to protect.
Anyone remembering other dreams during conference please write in and we can discuss similarities and themes that can help inform us of the depth of experience we all experienced during the conference -
Thanks Sydney organizers for a great conference!

Smoked, Pickled, Sun Dried , Salted

Having a few laughs last night - we laughed about aging and how as we age we become more concerned about our health.

Why is it some people smoke all their lives and still live to ninety two, others drink excessively and die of liver cancer, some people are prone to skin cancer, others can drink but don't become Alcoholics, our addictions can be a curse or a saviour at times.

Well laughing seems to cure many things, laughing is the best Medicine, so if drinking makes you laugh, it's also good for you, if smoking makes you chillout then that must be OK too, if having a tan and lazing in the sun makes you feel better then do it and if salting your food makes you enjoy it better then - there can't be too much wrong with it either.

Anyway - we decided that-

smoked, sun dried, pickled and salted goods last and are preserved longer.

So smoking, sun baking, drinking and salting food - is a a good way to preserve oneself -

Here's to the good life - don't stop yourself from enjoying some of life's pleasures.

New Beginnings -2008

During the last week of 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, David Hicks was finally released and these headlines infiltrated my Dreams. I dreamt that I was the mastermind of a terrorist bombing myself, my friends the people activating the plan, were all in on it by choice, it was to happen at night, perhaps a night club can’t be sure, but throughout the dream it was clear that this was a justified act, needed to be done, there would be sacrifice and victims, but it was all for the greater good.

Quite disturbing to wake and try to find a hint of why I dreamt this. Obviously the events of the past few days were part of it, but then, orchestrating a terrorist act for the greater good, left me itching to sort this one out. What and who am I sacrificing, what part of myself is so determined to to orchestrate a major plan in my life that involves this major act, regardless of the consequences.

Well that’s the frame of mind I entered 2008, pretty intense – it was also a scorching hot week in Melbourne too, when opening Solar fire at 12:02 pm on Jan 1^st 2008, for a quick glimpse at the year ahead, like a Horary question – What’s 2008 going to be like for me? - It never ceases to amaze this world of Astrology, looking at charts, glimpsing a sign, perhaps a deeper meaning. The MC for this time was my rising sign and degree, Sagittarius-can’t tell me what to do, what to follow, how to act, the rising of this time was one degree off my sun sign and degree, Pisces - creative, complex, cursed to swim forever searching, yearning , never still, unless completely exhausted. This type of magical moment, makes me feel and know that I opened this at the right time, to glimpse a meaning for the year. Here it was Mars and Pluto exactly opposite in the fourth and tenth houses, trine and sextile the NN, Saturn rx in the sixth, trine 10^th house Capricorn Jupiter and Sun, which by transit conjunct my South Node, whilst Saturn transits Uranus.

Well certainly a year of personal transformation, determined, working toward my autonomous goals, a challenge to stay healthy and fit enough to cope with the challenges ahead, letting a few things go on the way, but not giving up, as the ultimate goal is to continue toward the North Node, toward the future, to create visions and follow dreams (12^th house an Aquarius).

In the last minutes of Sagittarius, Pluto reminds us all that the visions held and formulated over this Sagittarius period are now moving closer to manifestation, Mars oppositerx in Gemini time to rethink, re-energize, relook at how we are pursuing these goals and visions and at the same time try and be nice about it. The sabian symbol for 30^th degree Pluto, is “ The pope blessing the faithful” – are we all on the right path, are we one of the faithful, being blessed to continue by the higher spiritual source, Sagittarius is about faith, grasping a strong sense of our convictions and what drives us (Mars) is the key to this years beginning.

The year 2008 is numerologically a number one year, a New beginning, on the 7^th Feb, with a New Moon solar eclipse in Aquarius and the beginning of the year of the Earth Rat, this is also the beginning of the Chinese 12 year cycle and with Pluto soon to enter Capricorn, triggering the zero point of Aries(the beginning of the Zodiac) there is a clear message that 2008 is the year for personal and global transformation, time to get on with what matters and begin to manifest all the goals and visions that have been created over the last 12 year cycle and it’s very important to keep the faith that drives you.